Page 172 of Through My Window
“Don’t start,” she threatens, giving me a light punch on the arm. I grab her hand.
“You deserved it for provoking me,” I say. She snorts. Running my thumb across her cheek, I reach up and kiss her softly, enjoying every little brush of our lips. When I pull away, I kiss her nose.
“Come on, Witch, time to get back to the dance, and let everyone know that your boyfriend just gave you the fuck of your life.” I wink at her, and she taps me on the shoulder.
“You’re still an idiot, Greek God.”
“An idiot you beg to fuck you.”
“Shut up!”
Smiling, we enter the gym.
- RAQUEL -
Ouch.
It hurts to walk. I never believed it when guys said, “I’ll fuck you until you can’t walk properly,” but now, thanks to Ares, I know the truth. He’s walking around with an arrogant expression.
I give him a killer look, to which he responds with a wink as he continues talking to Joshua. Ares and Joshua have been getting along great lately, and I’m happy about it. There’s nothing better than your boyfriend and your best friend getting along.
Dani, on the other hand, is giving me a look that I know all too well.
“What?”
“You got fucked hard, didn’t you?” she asks.
“Dani!” I protest, averting my gaze. She raises her glass and clinks it with mine.
“Cheers, you bitch. I love it.”
Anyone would be offended, but Dani means it affectionately. I know, it’s weird, but what can I say? My best friend is weird.
Ares approaches us.
“We’ll go to the after-party at my house, right?” He asks us.
“Yes.” Dani nods. “Dean sent me a text, apparently they’re already there.”
We all leave the dance and head to Ares’s car. It’s barely nine o’clock. I can’t believe so much has happened in such a short time.
As soon as I walk into Ares’s house, I hear someone call my name.
“Raquel!” Gregory shouts, stretching out his arms, and I hug him tightly. “Congratulations!”
I like Gregory a lot, and I get along really well with him, way better than with Marco. Marco is so . . . I don’t know how to explain it. His personality is very closed, so similar to Ares when I met him, and maybe that’s why they’re best friends.
“Enough,” Ari says, pushing Gregory away from me.
Gregory looks around. “Okay, Mr. Boring.”
I glance around the beautifully decorated room. There are a few people already there, including some guys from Ares’s school. There are also a few adults, and I guess that they’re the parents of his friends. My eyes spot Claudia in a very nice black dress with two other girls dressed like her, and then I notice them passing champagne and snacks around. Oh, they’re servers.
I look for Ares’s parents, but I don’t see them, and my eyes fall on an older man sitting on the sofa in a very elegant suit. Grandpa? Yes, that’s him. Ares has shown me pictures of him, and there are more hanging around the house.
Grandpa Hidalgo has an incredible air of confidence. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s as if wisdom emanates from him. When Ares told me about the way his grandpa spoke to his father and Artemis, he earned all my respect. A big part of me wants to go hug him and thank him, but I know I’m a stranger.
Artemis is next to him, wearing a suit as well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in casual clothes. Elegance definitely runs in this family.
